Bottle hooding machine



N. w. LYON BOTTLE HoDING MACHINE Mann 7, 1939.v

Filed Jan. V14, 19:57

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mvsNToR Patented Mar. 7,' 1939 PATENT OFFICE BO'ITLE HOODING Norman W. Lyon, Springfield, Mass., assignor to Package Machinery Company,

Springfield,

, Mass., a corporation oi Massachusetts Application January 14, 1937, Serial No. 120,513

' 8 Claims. (Cl. 226-83) The present invention relates to bottle hooding machines, and in particular to the heat sealing of tape around the constricted part of a previously applied hood. While the invention in some aspects is of general application, it is in other aspects an improvement on the bottle hooding machine shown in my prior patent application Serial No. 62,818, February 7, 1936. Much of the apparatus for applying the hood to the bottle and l for drawing the tape into position around the hoodis the same as in said prior application, and a' description thereof has been omitted from the present case to confine its disclosure to the invention herein claimed. For details of the remaining mechanism the prior application may be consulted. e

One object of the invention is to seal the tape progressively to the hood as it is being laid upon the hood around its circumference. A further 50 object is to preheat the tape after it has been drawn from its supply and before it reaches the hood so that when it nally contacts the hood it maybe in the best Vcondition to adhere firmly thereto. A further object is to provide mechanism whereby overheating of the tape preheating and'applying mechanism may be avoided when the operation is interrupted either during the normal course of the machine cycle or when the machine is stopped temporarily for some other reason. A further object is to provide mechanism which will maintain the temperature of the tape preheating and applying mechanism at the correctI pointirrespective of whether the machine is in operation or is temporarily stopped. A further object is to prevent` excess transfer of heat from the tape applying means to its support, with x the consequent overheating of the latter and Wastage 'of energy used for heating. Additional -objects will appear from the following descrip.-

tion and claims. Referring to the drawings, v

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a ma#- chine to which the present invention has been applied; l

Fig. 2 is a section, on a larger scale, taken sub--l stantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 with some parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a section, on the same scale as Fig. 2, with 'some parts broken away in Fig. 2 restored and with other parts below the -section line omitted, the parts being also shown in a different position of operation;

Fig. 4 is a. view similar to Fig. 3 but with the 5 parts in a still different position of operation:

Fig. 5 is a detail section online`55 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic View of the heat control;

Flg. 7 is a detail of the tape vpreheating and applying device; 5 Fig. 8 is a plan view of a modification of the tape applying device;

Fig. 9 is a side view thereof, taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 8; and

Fig. 1011s a detail of the top portion of the 10 hooded bottle.

= 'I'he machine is supported upon. a frame, a fragment of which is shown 'at I 0, and which carries a support II for those rotating parts which apply the securing tape to the hood. The hood sheet s is fed into the position shown in Fig. 1 by any suitable mechanism, such for example as that shown in my application referred to, and is picked up by the vertically moving bottle b and carried through a circumferential series of ilex-A ible lingers I2' (Fig. 2) which drape it around the neck of the bottle. 'I'he elevatedbottle is held stationary with the hood draped around it while the tape is wrapped around the hood and sealed thereon. y

'Ihe tape applying mechanism will not be described in all its detail since it is completely illustrated in the application referred to except for the features of distinction to be set forth below. A sleeve I3 is periodically rotated withinl the support I I and carries thereon a tape reel I4 as well as the actual tape applying devices. The tape t is led from the reel I l over guide rolls I5 and I6 to a feed roll I1, all of which are suitably journaled on a bracket I8 on the sleeve I3. The feed roll I'l is driven by a friction roll 20 on a. common shaft therewith, the friction roll contacting a segment 2| in a cam shaft 22 running within the `sleeve I3 and driven at a differential speed with respect thereto. A press roll 23 is mounted on an o arm24 pivoted to the bracket I8 and connected therewith by a spring 25 so that the press roll' will at all times hold the tape yieldingly against the feed roll I1. A stripper blade 26 guides the tape emerging from. the bite of the feed and .presser rolls, and a felt 2l, which in the application referred to served to `supply a sealing liquid to the tape to render it adhesive, is in the present instance utilized to further guide the tape and .to strip it from the movable knife blade. It can be used to supply a sealing liquid assisting in the heat sealing of the tape if this be desired. When the desired length of tape has been fed bythe feed roll, as determined by the length of the friction segment` 2|, it is severed by cutter blades 28 and 29 acting asin the prior application.

From the stationary cutter 29 the tape passes through an aperture or slot 30 in an arm 3| pivoted at 32 to the bracket I8. In the present instance this arm is heated so as to seal the tape by a heating cartridge 35 (Fig. 7) having one side grounded on the bracket and the other connected to a wire 36. The other end of this wire extends to a contact member 31 best shown in Fig. l which rests against a commutator generically indicated at 38. Thedetails of this commutator are shown in Fig. 5, and the electrical conne'ctions in Fig. 6. The commutator is supported on a circular fiber piece 40 ysecured by suitable screws to the support and which acts as an insulating base holding the commutator out of electrical contact with the support and the several segments of the commutator out of electrical contact with each other,

The commutator proper is composed of two segmental contactors 4I and 42, the contactor 4| making up the bulk of the circumference. This larger contactor is connected by a wire 43 to an adjustable resister 44 connected to one terminal of the, secondary of a transformer .46,

so set that when the machine comes to rest the V contact member 31 rests on the smaller segment 42. The resister 48 is so adjusted that with no heat being drawn from the arm 3| by contact with the bottle neck the arm is kept at the proper temperature. 'Ihe setting of the resister 44 is such as to supply a greater current, suicient to supply enough extra heat to the arm to make up for that taken away by conduction. Depending upon the speed of machine, the resistere 44 and 48 are set so that from 1%/2 to 21/2 times as much energy is supplied to the heater cartridge when the machine is running than `when it is stationary. 'Ihis arrangement is preferable to one in which the current is cut oil during the stoppage of the machine on account of thev fact that the latter arrangement ywould permit the arm 3| to cool oif too much.

The operation of the device will now be consid--` ered more in detail. When the tape has been cut on and the tape-applying head is at rest the parts are in the positionsshown in Fig. 2. The arm 3| has been withdrawn from contact with the bottle by mechanism fully described in the" application referred to. the tape feeding roll I1 is at rest, and the.current through the heating cartridge has been cut down toa point where the temperature inthe arm 3| will remain at the proper point with no heat being withdrawn from the arm except that which is dissipated into the air. Whena hood has been applied to anew bottle by elevation of the latter through the pleating ngers' I2, 'rotation of theI roll I1 is started by relative "-motion between the sleeve and the cam shaft. It will be' remembered that the roll I1 and the arm 3| rotatetogether about the bottle. The leading end of the tape will be projected through the aperture 30 (Fig. 'l) in the arm 3|, and will be preliminarily heated by con- .tact with the wall of this aperture. By `the time chine.

-machining the size ci.' the aperture can be re-- the tape contacts the hood the tape end will have come about into line with one edge oi.' the presser member 50, and as the parts move past i this presser it is brought into contact with the hood by mechanism fully described in the aforesaid application.

The condition of the parts is now shown in Fig. 3, in which the arm 3| has just passed the presser 50 and the latter has come into contact with the tape to prevent the end of the latter flr'st applied to the hood from coming loose as the remainder is being wound on. It will be apparent from Fig. 3 that the tape passes against the wall 5I of the aperture 30 and then over the'at side 52 of the arm 3|. The Whole arm being heated the tape is thus given a preliminary heating before contacting the hood, and is then pressed against the hood While it is being further heated.' The result is that when a proper heat-sealing tape is used a very tight seal'is obtained. The tape is almost immediately chilled after the arm 3| has laid it upon the hood by conduction of heat away from it by the cool bottle neck, so that there is no danger of the t'ape pulling away once it has been put in place.

The operation continues as described until the position of Fig. 4 is approached, at which time the presser 50 is retracted to permit the arm 3| to pass. At about the same time the cutter 28 is actuated to sever the tape, and the arm 3| continues to revolve around the bottle until the position of Fig. 2 is reached', gradually receding from the bottle after the trailing end ofthe tape is pressed in place. At this time the contact member 31 is again on the segment 42, and during the time the tape applying mechanism is inactive only enough heat is supplied to the heating cartridge to keep the arm 3| at the proper temperature.

In Figs. 8 and 9 a modled f orm of tape applying arm is shown which has numerous advantages, especially when the, machine is to be operated at high speed, and also having advantages for heat sealing machines of other types. The arm is here made in two parts, a part 60 having a recess 6| adapted to receive the electrical heating cartridge and also shaped to provide a preliminary tape heating surface 62 and an applying surface 63;v and a part 64- having an initial tapelguiding surface 65, preferably angular, arid a clamping opening 61 by which it may be secured to the shaft 32. The part 60 is preferably made of a highly conducting alloy, such as one comprising 88-90% ,copper and 1012% zinc; while the part 64 is preferably made of an alloy of low conductivity such as Monel metal. The" ratio of conductivities oithese two alloys' is approximately 7 to 1. The two sections are shown as being secured together by screws 68, but their abutting surfaces are preferably brazed together, the screws holding them merely during assembly.

This modied construction has both mechanical and thermal advantages. Due to the fabrication of the arm in two pieces the aperture through which the tape passes is easier -to ma- Also, by reason of this greater ease in space and facilitates its heating. Turning to the thermal advantages, the use of greater wattage in the heating cartridge is made possible with- -out danger of overheating the cartridge, since where the member contacts the tape with a mins ai49,a99 I the heat is conducted away from it very rapidly.

Adue to the high temperature of the member as a whole is reduced. 'I'he two-part construction insures a concentration of heat at the point imum' of wastage of heat beyond this point.

I claim: y

-1. A device for applying a binding tape to a hood on the neck of a bottle comprising means forlpreheating the tape progressively and heated means for applying the preheated tape circumferentially around the hood.

2. A device for applyingla binding tape' to a hood on the neck of a bottle comprising means for preheating the tape progressively and means 1 for applying the tape circumferentially around the hood and for heating the tape to a sealing temperature during its application. A

3. A device for applying a binding tape to a hood on the neck of a bottle comprising a member rotatable around the bottle neck for applying a tape to a hood thereon, means for guiding tape to saidl member, said member being shaped'to contact the tape both before and after its initial point of contact with the hood, and means forl heating said member.

.4. A device for applying a binding tape to a hood on the neck of a bottle comprising inter-v mittently operable means for applying the tape circumferentially around the hood, means for heating the tape to a sealing temperature during its application, and means for decreasing the supply of heat to the heating means during thev periodsof interruption. y

5,. A device for applying a binding tape to a hood on a neck oi a bottle comprising intermittently operable'means for applying the tape cirmeans carriedaby said member for heating said tape and applying it to a hood on the neck of a bottle, a circuit for supplying electrical energy to the heating means for heating the same, a commutator and a contact member one carried by the support and one by the rotatablemember and in' eluded in said circuit, said commutator having an insulated segment positioned so as to contact the contact member when the intermittently rotatable member is stationary, and a resistance con- -nectedto said segment so as to be included in the the surface of said member in contact with the tape made of metal of. high thermal conductivity, means'for supplying heat to said portion of high thermal conductivity, and means for supporting the portion of low thermal conductivity and rotating the member around the bottle neck.

8. A device for applying a binding tape to a hood on the neck of a bottle comprising a member rotatable around the bottle neck for applying a tape to a hood thereon, the memberbeing constructed with a supporting portion made of metal of low thermal conductivity and with a second portion including at least a. portion of the surface of said member in contact with the tape m'ade of metal of high thermal conductivity, said portions being formed at their Azone of junction with a narrow tape receiving slot, means for supplying heat to the portion of high thermal conductivity, means for supporting the portion of low thermal conductivity and rotating the member around the bottle neck, and means i'or4 rfeeding tape through said slot with the nonupon said support around the axis of a bottle, 

